Fixed: Dropbox Smart Sync Not Working | 6 Solutions

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User Case: Smart Sync Not Showing Up

Sometimes, users may experience issues with Dropbox Smart Sync not working, and the Selective Sync feature also not syncing files as expected. If you're facing this problem, don't worry, as we'll explain how to fix it.

Here are six solutions to fix the problem of syncing data and files to Dropbox, along with one all-in-one sync alternative tool:

Overview of Dropbox Smart Sync and Selective Sync

Dropbox Smart Sync allows you to view and access Dropbox files and folders from your computer without using much hard drive space, by selectively syncing only chosen folders, keeping the rest in the cloud.

Dropbox Smart Sync and Selective Sync differ in their functionality, with Smart Sync allowing users to access all files from their desktop without taking up hard drive space until they're opened, whereas Selective Sync only syncs selected folders to the device, making them fully available offline.

You may encounter issues with Dropbox Smart Sync not working or Selective Sync not working. To resolve these problems, you can refer to the provided solutions.

Case 1. Dropbox Smart Sync not showing up

Case 2. Dropbox Smart Sync online only not working

Case 3. Dropbox Smart Sync not freeing up space

Case 4. Dropbox Smart Sync unspecified error

Case 5. Smart Sync is experiencing an issue

Case 6. Dropbox Not Syncing

Dropbox Selective Sync not Working Fix

Case 1. Dropbox Smart Sync not showing up

If you've connected a personal Dropbox account, you won't be able to use Smart Sync for that account, and it also won't be available for Dropbox Plus or other accounts.

Solution: If you upgrade your Dropbox account to Dropbox Plus or other editions on dropbox.com, you should also update the desktop app and Mac app to match.

Case 2. Dropbox Smart Sync online only not working

Sometimes, the Smart Sync online feature may not work due to unintended downloaded files.

Solution: To make a file online-only again, right-click the file and select "Smart Sync" > "Online Only".

Case 3. Dropbox Smart Sync not freeing up space

To free up space, you can delete unnecessary documents and files from your Dropbox account, or move them to a different location such as your computer's local storage. You can also consider upgrading your Dropbox plan to one with more storage space if needed. Additionally, you can use the Dropbox "Purge" feature to automatically delete files that are no longer needed or have been moved to a different location.

Solutions: To free up space on your hard disk, you can use the feature called Selective Sync, which allows you to choose which files and folders to sync between your computer and the cloud storage service, such as Google Drive or Dropbox. This way, you can remove synced files from your local drive, freeing up space, while still keeping them accessible through the cloud.

1. Click the Dropbox icon on the Windows tray, click your account profile icon, and select Preferences.

2. At the Sync tab, select Selective Sync and uncheck the folders and files you want to remove from your computer but keep on Dropbox. Press Update to confirm.

Case 4. Dropbox Smart Sync unspecified error

Dropbox Smart Sync issues often occur when trying to open Microsoft Office files, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Solution: To set a file or folder to local sync, right-click on it, select Smart Sync, and choose Local. This will allow you to open the file or folder once it's been downloaded.

Case 5. Smart Sync is experiencing an issue

The issue with Dropbox may be caused by several factors, including recent updates to the service, lack of Windows security updates, antivirus or security software interfering with Dropbox, or issues with the Smart Sync feature requiring specific software to be installed and running properly, as well as potential software conflicts.

Solutions:

1. To resolve the issue, add Dropbox to the white list or exceptions in your antivirus or security software. This will allow Dropbox to function properly without being flagged as a threat.

2. Install Windows latest updates.

3. Restart the computer and Dropbox desktop app.

4. Reinstall Dropbox with Admin privileges.

5. Disable all running software to fix the conflict, such as HIBUN software, and others.

Case 6. Dropbox Not Syncing

If you're experiencing issues with Dropbox not syncing, ensure your device is connected to the Internet, signed in to the same Dropbox account, and the files or folders are located in the Dropbox folder. If all is right, try the following solutions.

1. Please rename the file name to something shorter than 255 characters, excluding special characters like /, \, <, >, :, ", |, ?, and *. This will make it easier to work with and avoid any potential issues.

2. To prevent syncing certain system files and temporary files, you can exclude them from syncing by adding specific file patterns to your sync settings. This can include files like desktop.ini, thumbs.db, and various temporary files denoted by extensions such as *.tmp, ~file, etc.

3. The file location can be changed to reduce the number of file components. This can be done by adjusting the file path to make it more concise and efficient.

Dropbox Selective Sync not Working Fix

Dropbox Selective Sync may not work due to various reasons such as outdated software, insufficient permissions, corrupted cache, network issues, conflicts with other applications, configuration errors, account issues, or problematic file paths. To fix the issue, consider trying two easy solutions.

Solution 1: Restart the Dropbox sync process

Step 1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.

Step 2. Find the Dropbox process in the list.

If Dropbox is listed under the Processes tab, select it and click End Task. If it's not listed or the sync task has already ended, click the desktop icon to restart Dropbox.

Solution 2: Clear the Dropbox cache

Step 1. Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) and navigate to the path ~/Dropbox/.dropbox.cache, or for Windows users, C:\Program Files\Dropbox, and for Mac users, select "Go to Folder..." and enter the path.

Step 2. Select all files in the cache folder and delete them.

Dropbox Smart Sync Free Alternative - Qiling Disk Master Standard

If you're experiencing issues syncing files to Dropbox using Smart Sync or Selective Sync, you may want to consider using Qiling Disk Master Standard, a powerful file sync software for Windows computers, to sync files to the cloud or other devices with ease.

Millions of users worldwide rely on this freeware due to its reliable synchronization, user-friendly interface, and impressive performance. You can now download it to enjoy the file sync feature.

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7, 100% Secure

You could enjoy the following sync features:

1. Schedule sync allows you to sync files to Dropbox or other clouds via various schedules such as daily, weekly, monthly, or even via a USB plug-in.

2. Sync Settings allows you to customize the sync task by adding a comment, enabling email notifications, running a specified program before the sync, and more, making each sync task unique and tailored to your needs.

3. The one-way sync function can securely transfer data from the source path to another location, protecting the original data on the source path.

4. The Multiple Sync destination selection feature allows users to sync files not only to cloud storage services, but also to external hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, network shares, NAS, and local disks, among other options.

5. You can trigger the sync task by four events: user logon, user logoff, system startup, and system shutdown, allowing you to sync files to Dropbox without taking up your working time.

6. File Sync allows you to monitor the source directory in real-time, syncing any changes to files or folders to Dropbox immediately.

The last two are premium features, please upgrade to Qiling Disk Master Professional or other advanced editions to enjoy.

Bonus Tip: Backup Files to Qiling Cloud

Besides Dropbox, you can also sync your files to Google Drive, OneDrive, and other cloud drives using the above method, but most of them only offer a limited amount of free storage space.

Conclusion

If you're experiencing issues with Dropbox's Smart Sync or Selective Sync, consider using Qiling Disk Master Standard as a reliable Dropbox alternative to sync files seamlessly, ensuring your files and folders are safely backed up, and even syncing open files with ease.

Qiling Disk Master is not only a disk cloning software but also a backup and restore tool that allows you to create a backup of your data to an image file, create a system backup to prevent system boot failure, and backup your entire hard disk to other locations for easy restoration.

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